17.11.07

On December 8, 1914, a British naval squadron was taking on fuel in the Falkland islands. Fresh from their success at the Battle of Coronel just a month before, the German fleet was bearing down on them. Had the British been caught in port, the story would have ended here, with the Germans blocking the exit, and sending every one of Her Majesty's ships to the bottom. However, the Brits had a trick up their sleeve - the HMS Canopus had been intentionally run aground behind a hill. Spotters fed the gunners positions on the German ships, and she opened up with her fore and aft batteries. The suprise attack did superficial damage, but sent the German scouts running back to the main force.

This gave the British enough time to steam out from port and engage the Germans with superior speed and firepower. Once the faster British came within range of the Germans, they opened fire. According to historical documents, it took nearly half an hour to score the first hit.

Why the delay? For years, physics textbooks have cited this battle as an example of the Coriolis force in action. The Coriolis force is a "fictitious force" much like the centrifugal force one feels on a merry-go-round. The Coriolis force has the effect of making projectiles deflect to the right in the Northern hemisphere, and to the left in the Southern hemisphere. The force isn't noticeable for small distances and velocities, but for long-range naval gunnery, it becomes important. The primitive mechanical firing computers of WWI could calculate and correct for the Coriolis force. However, the story goes that the British forgot that in the Southern hemisphere, the opposite correction needs to be made.

Cheers,Jeremy

4.11.07

I suppose there's nothing like the rarefied air of Denver. It clears the mind.

I've been here for the last four days, attending the National Collegiate Honors Council meeting. A full reflection on this experience will take some time to write, but it will eventually be posted here. Thanks in no small part to the words of Whit, Donna, and a certain Derek Powazek, I have revived the old blog-o-page, and I think I'll be making much more consistent updates. The original purpose of this blog was not to be some day-to-day account of my life, but rather a place to publish my ideas and writings that I find somehow compelling. Maybe that wasn't actually the point, but it is now. The inspiration garnered from my on-line muses has pushed me to redouble my efforts to make this space useful to whosoever passes by.